Black Shadow One: A Shadow Falls.
by Lex3
Summary: The millenium has come and gone. Daybreak lost. The World is in darkness. But the light has been given another chance. The wildpowers are being reborn. Who can the night turn to, to stop the day.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I own non or the characters recognised they belong to goddess LJ Smith to whom I am sure we are all supremely grateful for giving us the world for our imagination.  
  
Author's notes: I have been redoing bits of this story and making it look better etc. Hopefully it will help it flow better. (  
  
Prologue:  
  
Morgread Blackthorn knelt on the ground clutching the lifeless form of Jez Redfern to his chest. Tears streamed down his face. All around the battle raged the day verses the night but Morgread come only sit there mourning the loss of his soulmate.  
  
Morgread looked at the body in his arms, his one true love was dead. A part of him died at the realisation, the part of him that felt love, compassion and the part of him that wanted to side with the day. He slowly stood up leaving the body lying on the ground. He turned and ran towards the group of the other soulmate couples.  
  
"Morgread, where's Jez?" Ash asked him.  
  
"Jez is dead" he replied in a flat voice. The group assembled around him gave a collective gasp. Jez the Wild Power was dead and with her all hope for the world died also. Morgread glanced around him at the faces filled with despair, he burst out laughing.  
  
"Poor guy, he is hysterical" Delos muttered.  
  
"Don't worry about me I feel fine." Morgread replied to him. "Which is more that I can say for…" he reached out with lightning speed and snapped Mary- Lynnette's neck. "you" he finished standing over the body.  
  
"You killed her, you bastard." Ash yelled at Morgread and Ash launched at him in a murderous rage. Morgread hit Ash with a burst of physic energy. Ash stumbled backwards almost on top of the body of Mary-Lynnette.  
  
"Ash don't do anything stupid," Morgread warned. "What's keeping you on the loosing side now?" Morgread asked Ash.  
  
"Nothing." Ash whispered almost to himself. He looked up at the vampire standing over him, his eyes turning to chips of steel. Morgread held out a hand to him and Ash took it.  
  
They stood side bye side facing the rest of their former group. Delos looked like he had been slapped. Rashel glared at them with murderous anger in her eyes. Maggie looked lost. Poppy and James both looked pissed. Iliana looked as if she was about to cry. But the biggest surprise of all was Quin; he was standing behind his soulmate Rashel and winked at them. None of the others saw Quin's reaction.  
  
While all this was going on the battle was still raging. A body flew into the middle of their little group. The crumpled heap on the ground was undoubtedly human. Morgread and Ash both smiled and Quin's eyes twinkled as if he wanted to smile. The small group of daybreakers was all that was left of the daybreak forces.  
  
Ash looked around him and saw the Nightworld troops closing in on their position. In the distance he saw a familiar red head, Ash smiled again, Hunter was alive and kicking. Apparently Delos hadn't done as good a job of frying him as he previously thought.  
  
//hey Hunter, how do you feel about having your favourite grandson back in the fold.// Ash called to Hunter. Ash could feel the shock course through Hunter.  
  
//how do I know you aren't just trying to save your own skin. // The cold voice replied.  
  
//Of course I'm trying to save my skin, I'm a Redfern aren't I. // Ash answered laughing like the old Ash, the one that hadn't been tainted by love for a vermin.  
  
//the wild power you killed's soulmate also has seen the light, or darkness" Ash told hunter laughing at his little joke. Once again Ash could feel shock radiating from Hunter. He didn't know one of the wild powers was dead.  
  
// Oh yeh Grandpa it's true you have already won the battle all you need to do now is clear up. Morgread and I will help; just make sure your forces don't try to take us out. Oh yeh leave Quin alive as well he seems to be having a change of heart. Now it was Hunters turn to laugh.  
  
//Quin never had a change of heart in the first place he has always been working for me. // Hunter told Ash. He looked over towards Quin and Quin did that wink thing again.  
  
Ash could feel Hunter telling his troops to leave Morgread, Quin and himself alone. He looked towards the group of Daybreakers, most of whom looked upon them with hatred. The daybreakers looked like they were about to try and fight their way out.  
  
"Why bother" Quin asked, "you are already dead" with that he picked up Rashel before she could do anything and bit her.  
  
The rest of the daybreakers were quickly dealt with. Delos took out quite a few with blue fire but they didn't stand a chance. It was a massacre. 


	2. Part one

1 Part 1  
  
Alexis sat at her bench in her history class, almost drifting of to sleep.  
  
"Alexis, tell me which vampire who was soulmates with Jez Redfern the Wild power." Mr Holt asked. Lex hadn't been listening to any of the lesson; she never felt the point she seemed to have an affinity for pre millennium war history.  
  
"Morgread Blackthorn" Lex responded. Mr Holt eyes flashed he had been hoping to catch her out.  
  
"Who was Ash Redfern's soulmate?" he fired out quickly, trying to get her to make a mistake.  
  
"Mary-Lynnette Carter." Lex spat out. She hated the girl for some reason; she had always seemed so weak and pathetic.  
  
"Answer this then, which member of the Daybreak team was in reality a Nightworld spy." He asked with a spiteful tone in his voice. Lex searched her mind for the relevant piece of information but came up a blank. She could remember anything that happened after Morgread killed Mary-Lynnette.  
  
"I don't know" Lex had to admit.  
  
"See little miss know it all really does need to listen in History" Mr Holt crowed. Lex was seething. How dare some jumped up lamia tutor dictate to her? Her Redfern guardians forced her to attend these pointless lessons with their own children.  
  
After her parents had been killed by a hunter Lex was dumped on her parent's friends, Rose and Hart Redfern. In Lex's opinion they were the most pitiful excuse for vampires she had ever seen. They believed that the vermin had feelings, so they forbid Lex to play with them. The only upside was that she got to live in the Redfern mansion. Three of the most import figures in night world history lived there. Hunter Redfern, Ash Redfern and John Quin. Quin though not technically a Redfern was still the Redfern heir.  
  
Lex could almost hit her head of the desk, Quin he was the spy, why didn't she remember that sooner.  
  
"Quin" Lex yelled out.  
  
"What?" Mr Holt asked.  
  
"Quin was the spy." Lex told him in a level voice. Mr Holt looked ready to murder her.  
  
"Alexis please pay attention we have moved on from that." He almost yelled.  
  
"I was paying attention, you asked a question and I gave you the answer." Lex shouted. Getting to her feet. Mr Holt opened his moth to say something. Before he could say anything Lex cut him off.  
  
"I'm sick of these pointless lessons. I'm leaving." Lex yelled. There was a collective gasp from three of the Redferns. The forth, Jezebel, just sat there with a smile on her face. Her parents had named her after the Wild power. They thought they should honour her. Lex thought this was a ludicrous idea. Why should they honour someone who worked for the downfall of the Nightworld? In Lex's opinion this was just another thing that proved her guardians were pathetic vampires. Luckily their daughter, even though she had been named after the traitor, had sense. She and Lex revelled in causing havoc together.  
  
//Way to go Lex. // Jez said.  
  
//Thanks Jez, just doing my part to make sure the world doesn't go smoothly. // Lex replied. Lex felt the laughter bubble up in Jez.  
  
"Be seeing you, or not." Lex said to Mr Holt on her way towards the door.  
  
When Lex was a couple of feet from the door she heard a knock. The door swung open and one of the human servants shuffled in. Lex glared at the vermin as it walked by. It handed a piece of paper to Mr Holt then shuffled out again without ever saying a word. As the vermin was shuffling by her a second time Lex had the urge to stick out her foot and trip it up but she resisted the urge.  
  
Lex had her had on the doorknob when My Holt called after her.  
  
"Alexis, Lord Hunter wants to see you" He told her, he couldn't hide the glee in his voice, obviously he thought that Hunter was going to punish her is some way. Lex automatically put on her expressionless mask; it was the only expression that could be used when dealing with Hunter. She opened the door and stepped out into the vast corridor. 


	3. Part Two

1 Part 2  
  
Just as she closed the door behind her she felt a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Alexis, come this way." An unfamiliar voice told her. She turned to see who it was. The vampire standing in front of her was tall with Ash blond hair and ever changing eyes. He was wearing black pants and a black shirt, if Lex hadn't been so enthralled by his looks she would have laughed. This guy must be the only other person I the Redfern mansion that shared Lex's obsession with black. She herself was dressed in black leather pants with a black skinny-T and a long leather coat over the top. Lex's breath caught in her throat. The guy was stunning to look at and on top of that Lex knew with out a doubt that the figure standing before her was Ash Redfern.  
  
Lex pulled back her lead and kicked him in the shin. She had no idea what she was doing. He hadn't done anything wrong. Not to mention the fact that Ash could probably wipe the flour with her. Ash's face pulled a grimace of pain.  
  
"What the fuck did you do that for?" Ash yelled. The last person to have done something like that to him was Mary-Lynnette. A wave of sadness washed over him as he though of Mary-Lynnette. It had been just under a thousand years since the day that she had been taken away from him but it hurt him as if it had been yesterday.  
  
"I don't know" Lex screamed, she was pissed off about something but for the life of her she couldn't remember what. With that Ash seemed to loose it. Ever since the death of Mary-Lynnette he had been unstable. The littlest thing to set him off.  
  
"You little…. "Ash yelled and grabbed her by the neck.  
  
The minute their skin touched an electric current pulsed through Lex. A pink haze filled her world. Memory's flooded Lex's mind. Ash laughing, she had never seen him laugh before. A group sitting in the daybreak mansion with Ash holding her hand. Holding 'her' hand Lex knew that that had never happened before in her lifetime but… but in a past lifetime.  
  
//what… what's going on? // Lex stammered. Ash didn't answer he just fell to his knees hugging Lex around the waist, tear streaming down his face.  
  
//Mary-Lynnette I have missed you so much. // Ash said in-between sobs. Lex slid to the ground Ash's arms encircling her. She raised her finger to Ash's mouth.  
  
//Shh. I am sorry I can't be Mary-Lynnette for you. // Lex said softly. //I have her memories, even her soul but I am not Mary-Lynnette. She is dead. // Ash lifted his head and looked into Lex's eyes. His mouth moved slowly towards hers. Their lips met and the world dissolved in a pink haze.  
  
She showed him the memories of her life, well rather the soulmate link showed him. He saw the way her parents well killed, how Lex tracked down and tortured the hunters to death, the way she loved to play with humans, the way her guardians always tried to curtail that particular hobby but most off all he saw how much Lex loved him. Not Mary-Lynnette's love but Lex's.  
  
//Lex I love you// he flashed his dazzling smile. //and you are right you're not Mary-Lynnette but I still love you// Lex smiled weakly, she had never expected anything like this to happen, she was almost in shock. She felt like she was about to cry.  
  
//Cheer up Lex, the world isn't ending, we've been there and done that. // Ash told her. Lex laughed sitting there in Ash's arms felt so right.  
  
//Silly Ash, the world didn't end 'for us', only for the vermin. // Lex responded. Ash dissolved into laughter and Lex joined in.  
  
//You are right my bad little girl. The old Mary-Lynnette never shared my sense of humour; you are much better this way. // Ash told her. With those words Lex's heart soared.  
  
//What does Hunter want with me anyway? // Lex asked.  
  
//Oh shit, I almost forgot what with all the lightning and all. // Ash said, smiling devilishly. //He didn't tell me what he wanted, he just sent me to get you and Quin was sent to get Morgread. We had best be going then. // Ash got to his feet and pulled Lex up with him. 


	4. Part Three

1 Part 3  
  
Ash lead the way to Hunter's room. They stood together outside the large door. Ash was about to knock.  
  
"Come in" a commanding, voice boomed.  
  
Ash lead Lex into the room holding her hand. They stepped around the door and looked around, they were the first two to arrive. Lex saw a regal looking vampire sitting behind the desk, it was Hunter Redfern. The oldest vampire in the world.  
  
Hunter eyes travelled over the pair of them, his eyes resting on their entwined hands. He smiled coldly.  
  
"I am glad you have finally gotten over that vermin whore Mary-Lynnette," He said to Ash. Lex laughed at that, glad that Hunter agreed with her perception of her former self.  
  
//Hunter you are right, Mary-Lynnette was a bitch wasn't she. // Lex said to Hunter. His eyes flashed for a moment then he smiled. Before Lex could say anything more Ash cut in.  
  
"Hunter meet my soulmate, Lex Mandril."  
  
"Your soulmate, you mean she is the reincarnation of that slag." Hunter yelled. Ash was about to say something in Lex's defence but she got in there first.  
  
"Hunter, I was Mary-Lynnette but as our dear Ash has found out I am not her anymore." Lex sweetly said. Confusion swept over Hunter's face, quickly covered by a blank mask.  
  
"From what I have heard old souls are normally in some way similar to their past incarnation but…" Lex raised her hands "something must have went wrong in this case, cause baby I'm as bad as the come." Ash was trying to cover up a laugh, no one had ever called Hunter Redfern baby before. Ash was moving slowly in front of Lex, he assumed that Hunter would be pissed.  
  
Lex saw Ash moving around in front of her and pushed him aside.  
  
"Ash I can fight my own battles." She yelled at him. Then she heard a burst of laughter coming from the desk. Hunter clapped his hands once.  
  
"Well Lex, you have persuaded me you are not Mary-Lynnette. For a start she would have been to scared to even talk to me let alone fight me."  
  
Ash only smiled at this, he knew of all Mary-Lynnette's flaws but there isn't much you can do about it if they are your soulmate. He was defiantly pleased with his new and improved soulmate, it was like the first time had been some kind of a mistake and this time the powers that have gotten it right. Lex and Ash suited each other, neither had to change to please the other, it was perfect.  
  
Lex could feel what Ash was thinking.  
  
//I am glad you approve// she purred. Ash laughed again and moved his hand from hers and was about to touch her face. Hunter saw what was happening, if they got into all that again there would be no talking to them for ages.  
  
"Well children, you are probably wondering why I called you here, I can't give you the specifics until the others get here but I can tell you why you were picked." Hunter cut in. At the sound of Hunter's voice Ash dropped his hand and entwined it with Lex's again.  
  
"I need my best people to do a job for me. Ash was picked for the obvious reasons, he is my grandson, he is ruthless and a superb fighter. And you my dear" he said to Lex "you were picked because you an excellent fighter the best one I have seen under Ash's age" Hunter lifted his hand as if to ward off comment's, "you can speak once I have finished. You are the only vampire that has not lived thought the millennium battle to be able to use the black fire and" Hunter smiled, that was certainly unnerving "there is a prophesy about you."  
  
Lex's mind was in a whirl, she had so many questions. How did Hunter know she was a good fighter? How did he know about the black fire? She hadn't told a soul about that. But most of all she was eager to know more about the prophesy.  
  
"You probably want to know more about the prophecy," Hunter asked almost as if he had read her mind, knowing Hunter that was probably the case. He slid a piece of paper towards Lex. It read:  
  
The orphan fighter  
  
With the black fire,  
  
1.1 Will help rid the world of light  
  
Making it forever night.  
  
She will find the wild four  
  
Stopping the vermin forever more.  
  
With Frayne her one true love  
  
They will destroy the hope of heaven above.  
  
  
  
"And you know what Frayne means don't you Lex?" Hunter asked.  
  
"Ash tree" Lex whispered.  
  
"Correct, it was a good thing I decided to put Ash in my little group, I had no idea what that line meant until you two came in here together." Hunter explained. Lex handed the piece of paper over to Ash, who read it slowly, a smile spreading over his face.  
  
"We get to destroy the Vermin's hopes and dreams forever more. Can this day get any better?" Ash exclaimed.  
  
"Someone's coming" Lex announced, a few seconds later the door burst open and there was standing Quin, Morgread and… Rashel! 


	5. Part Four

1 Part 4  
  
  
  
"What's she doing here?" Lex snarled at the girl. "She is a hunter and she is 'supposed' to be dead." Lex was about to launch herself at Rashel.  
  
"Lex stop!" Ash yelled, "She is on our side."  
  
"Once a hunter always a hunter" Lex retorted.  
  
"Lex how about always a whiny human always a whiny human. You know better than anyone that people don't always stay the same." Ash said soothingly. Lex moved slowly backwards until she was standing with Ash pressed up against her back.  
  
"How did you know who I am, or was?" Rashel asked.  
  
"I remember you, dumb bitch." Lex snarled again, she could get over the change of heart of Rashel. "Though of course I wasn't always the way I am today, last life time I was human" A light dawned on Rashel.  
  
"You are the reincarnation of Mary-Lynnette," She said in awe.  
  
"Well done Sherlock" Lex cut back.  
  
Morgread was looking slightly panicky; that Mary-Lynnette, the girl he had killed was reincarnated so powerful. Lex wandered towards him.  
  
"You killed me" she spat out as if each word was a chip of ice. She brought her face within an inch of his. Then kissed him hard on the mouth.  
  
"Thanks, couldn't stand that cow anymore than the rest of you." She said happily. Ash burst out laughing.  
  
//don't you just love a girl with a good sense of humour. // He said to everyone in the room.  
  
//I need to tell you something about Rashel// Ash said to Lex // but I will have to wait until after the meeting, Hunter is getting impatient. //  
  
"I have called you here because you are the best the Nightworld has to offer. Our world is once again under threat from the dayworld. The wild powers have been reborn and I have sanctioned a Nightworld team called 'Dark Shadow' you five plus one other whom you won't be meeting yet will make up this team." Hunter explained to them. There were many furtive glances between people, they had all lived through the last millennium battle in some form and were mostly not eager to repeat the experience.  
  
"We have been given new prophecies by Maya, before you start jumping to the conclusion that she I not really dead just let me tell you she is most defiantly dead but… she is not gone. Maya is a spirit guide now and she has provided the night world with prophesies to help them through the coming crisis. There are three in total, the one involving young Lex here, the second is:  
  
The light is given a second chance,  
  
Stronger than before.  
  
1.1 One wild power is all they need  
  
To banish the night ever more.  
  
"And the third is:"  
  
One from the mountains where the fire still burns strong;  
  
One from the forests where the light can roam free;  
  
One from the kingdom where darkness rules;  
  
One from the wastelands where the beasts rule supreme.  
  
After had told them the verses he sat back to watch their reactions. Lex's was probably the most entertaining, she was the only one out of the five of them that had studied the millennium battle, and she was torn between an interest in reliving events that were legend to her and the knowledge that even though she hadn't seen the battle personally Mary- Lynnette had. Mary-Lynnette had detested all the carnage she had seen. Images of the battle flashed through her mind, she saw the vast Nightworld army converging on the Daybreak mansion, the darkness rolling over the sky, Morgread's hardened face as he told the remaining Daybreakers what had happened to Jez, Morgread standing before her with his arm outstretched and then nothing. Lex smiled the best side had one the previous battle and they would win the next one as well.  
  
Quin and Rashel were looking shocked; they had never expected anything like this to happen. Ash just gave a lazy grin as if he knew all along what was going to happen.  
  
//Ash, did you know what was going on? // Lex quizzed him.  
  
//nope, well I didn't 'know' anything exactly. Hunter has been running around like mad the past few days. He was even reading one of the books to do with the battle. I thought that was slightly odd as he was there. I knew something big was up to make Hunter flustered and since he was reading up on the battle I had some speculations. // Ash replied.  
  
Lex gave a small laugh; she could just imagine Hunter running around trying to find all the information he could about the last battle. It was defiantly a comical sight.  
  
All the eyes in the room turned towards Lex, Rashel wore an expression that clearly showed she thought Lex was nuts.  
  
"What on earth are you laughing about?" Rashel asked.  
  
"The last battle" Lex Replied.  
  
"And that is funny because…?"  
  
"How can it not be funny? The Nightworld won, humans died and daybreak was wiped out. Though personally the best bit for me was when Morgread told the daybreakers the Jez was dead" She turned to Morgread "it was class, I doubt I could have done it better my self." Once again Lex dissolved into fits of laughter. Ash came up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and him and managed to get a hold of herself.  
  
"I'm through now." she said whispered to Ash. He nodded once in acknowledgement. Louder she said. "I am going to see the end of the battle this time." With a pointed look at Morgread. Morgread flashed Lex a grin.  
  
"Don't worry I am sure I will have no desire to kill the new and improved version." Morgread said.  
  
Hunter was getting pissed at all the talk, he wanted action.  
  
"I have a copy of the prophecies for each of you." He handed out written sheets to the group. "Take them away, study them and figure out where the fuck the wild powers are hiding." He shouted the last bit.  
  
Lex looked around the room once more. Many of the most famous people in Nightworld history were collected into that room. Her eyes flicked over their faces again. Ash her soulmate, Quin the iceman, Rashel the cat and Morgread the one that turned Ash back to the night. Lex felt proud to be included in the most influential group formed since the fall of Daybreak. She, the orphaned daughter of little known lamia parents, was a member. They were Black Shadow.  
  
  
  
One from the mountains where the fire still burns strong;  
  
One from the forests where the light can roam free;  
  
One from the kingdom where darkness rules;  
  
One from the wastelands where the beasts rule supreme.  
  
  
  
Look out for Black Shadow Two: Blood and Darkness. 


End file.
